Living with tikvah means placing our complete hope in Hashem for everything and anything we need. Too often, we mistakenly put our hope in others — the doctor to heal us, the shadchan to find a match, the job to provide income — forgetting that these are merely messengers of Hashem with no power of their own. Hashem alone is the true force in the world; everything comes only from Him, and He can do anything. Our hope in His salvation is not limited to times of hardship or darkness — we are meant to hope in Him for all our needs, even those that seem mundane. The Medrash Tanchuma on Zos Habracha teaches that one can hope for anything, and that hope itself is the key to receiving everything: a poor person hopes to become wealthy, the weak hope to become strong, the sick hope to be healed, and the imprisoned hope to be freed. The only thing for which there is no hope is to escape the day of death — even Moshe Rabbeinu, who spoke with Hashem face-to-face, could not avoid it. In every other matter of life, our hearts are to remain steadfast in hoping to Hashem alone.

A situation is never truly hopeless if we understand Who is in control and the limitless nature of His power. One of the basic foundations of Judaism is knowing that Hashem is all-powerful — nothing is too difficult for Him. Even when we cannot see a way out of our problems, there is always a way, because Hashem controls everything, including the laws of nature, and can change them in an instant to fulfill His will.

In Shemoneh Esrei, we describe Hashem as Rav Lehoshia — “abundant in salvation.” He can save us regardless of odds, statistics, or circumstances. Nothing can stand in His way. Our role is to believe this truth and turn to Him for deliverance.

Rabbeinu Yonah, commenting on the verse “for nothing can hinder Hashem from saving, whether by many or by few” (Shmuel I 14:6), teaches: Even when trouble is close at hand, His salvation is just as close, for nothing is withheld from His power. As Yeshayahu (51:6) says, “Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look to the earth beneath…” — meaning, look beyond the limits of the natural world and place your trust in Hashem at all times, even in moments of darkness. His salvation can come in the blink of an eye. Therefore, a person should hope for His deliverance even if the sword rests upon his neck, as Iyov declared, “Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Iyov 13:15).

Because He can do anything, there is never a time when we cannot hope in Him.

Sometimes the fear of not being worthy holds us back from placing our hope in Hashem for salvation. We may fully believe that Hashem can do anything, yet feel certain that we do not deserve His help.

The truth is, we are not deserving — not only of a yeshuah, but of any of the countless blessings we already enjoy. And yet, Hashem grants them to us daily. Why? Because of His middah of chesed — His boundless kindness that gives freely, not because we have earned it, but because He is compassionate.

When we place our hope in Hashem, we awaken His middah of chesed. Once chesed is activated, worthiness no longer becomes the deciding factor. Chazal teach that even a sinner should place his hope in Hashem when in need, because Hashem responds with mercy and benevolence to those who hope in Him.

As the Sefer HaEmunah VeHaBitachon (attributed to the Ramban, ch. 1) writes: “Trust in Hashem and do good” — meaning, even if you have no good deeds and know yourself to be a sinner, nevertheless trust in Hashem, for He is merciful and will have compassion on you, as it says, ‘His mercy is upon all His works.’ Therefore, it first says, ‘Trust in Hashem,’ meaning whether you are righteous or whether you are wicked — trust in Him.”

The measure of Hashem’s kindness is far greater than our measure of worthiness. And so, no matter who we are or what we have done, we can — and must — place our hope in Him.

If we have been hoping and the yeshuah has not yet come — we should continue hoping! The Navi in Hoshea (12:7) tells us, “וְקַוֵּה אֶל אֱלֹקיךָ תָמִיד” — “Hope to your G-d always.” Likewise, in Tehillim (25:5), David HaMelech declares, “אוֹתְךָ קִוִּיתִי כָּל הַיּוֹם” — “I have hoped to You all day.”

Rabbeinu Yonah explains that the tzaddikim understand the immense reward and spiritual benefit gained from hoping in Hashem, so they are not troubled when their salvation takes time. Instead, “They rejoice at all times that they have been able to set their hope upon G-d, to place their expectation in His kindness. The longer their hope continues and is delayed, the more they delight in the service they perform for G-d through hope and trust.”

Every moment spent hoping draws us closer to Hashem. That closeness itself may be the very purpose for which the challenge was given. Each second of genuine hope brings immense reward, awakens Hashem’s middah of chesed, and channels more blessing into our lives.

We never know how much hope is needed to bring the yeshuah. Often, just one more moment of sincere hope could be the tipping point — which is exactly why the yetzer hara works so hard to make us give up. It knows the power of hope and how quickly it can change everything. The longer we keep hoping, the greater the flow of bracha and compassion we invite from Hashem.

At times, we may wonder: On what basis can we hope for Hashem’s salvation? If we don’t feel worthy, or know that we have shortcomings, what gives us the confidence to turn to Hashem with hope?

One powerful answer is this: we can place our hope in Hashem not because of our own merit, but because of His honor.

This form of trust, often called “Tikvas HaKavod” – hope rooted in the honor of Hashem – is explained in Sefer HaIkkarim by Rabbi Yosef Albo.

Sefer HaIkkarim teaches that when someone consistently places their trust in Hashem, they can continue to do so not because they’ve earned salvation, but because it would reflect on Hashem’s honor if the world saw Him abandon those who rely on Him. This hope does not depend on one’s own merit or righteousness, but rather on the recognition that Hashem has a consistent pattern of helping and saving those who trust in Him. If He has helped someone many times in the past, they hope He will continue to do so – not because they deserve it, but because failing to help would diminish the honor associated with His name.

The idea is this: If people see that someone who has always relied on Hashem is now left without help in a time of need, they might think – mistakenly – that Hashem is unable to save, or that He has lost His power, G-d forbid. That would be a desecration of His Name (chilul Hashem). Therefore, the person hopes and prays: “Hashem, save me not because of who I am, but because Your honor is at stake. People know that I trust in You – let them not think You abandoned me.”

 

 

Hoping based on Hashem’s chessed means hoping for yeshua (salvation) because of His endless kindness and mercy, not because of any merit. When we hold onto this kind of hope, it opens the door for Hashem’s kindness to come through and help us in ways we can’t even imagine.

The Sefer HaIkkarim teaches that hope rooted in Hashem’s kindness is the highest and most praiseworthy kind of hope. However, a person may not feel fully confident that Hashem will give them everything their heart desires. Why? Because they believe they are unworthy of receiving such kindness as a free gift. They assume Hashem might not want to fulfill their request—and that doubt weakens their hope.

But when hope is incomplete, says the Sefer HaIkkarim, it is not considered real hope. True hope must be whole and unwavering. If a person truly places their full trust in Hashem’s kindness, without hesitation, then Hashem will never withhold His chessed. He wants to give to those who hope in Him.

As the Torah says, “Hashem desires those who fear Him, who hope for His kindness.”

So when kindness is withheld, it is not because Hashem doesn’t want to give—it is because the person’s hope was not strong or complete enough.

 

The Sefer HaIkkarim teaches that the most certain and secure form of hope is hope that is based on a promise—תקות ההבטחה. This is the kind of hope we have when Hashem has clearly promised something, whether through written Torah, verbal prophecy, or the words of the Nevi’im.

When someone trustworthy makes a promise, we naturally rely on them to keep their word. How much more so when the one making the promise is Hashem, who is the ultimate truth. The Sefer HaIkkarim explains that just as a servant cannot demand anything from their master—unless the master explicitly promised it—so too, we have no basis to expect anything from Hashem except where He has promised it. But once Hashem has promised, our hope becomes firm and justified.

King David expressed this in Tehillim (119:49):

“Remember the word You promised Your servant, through which You gave me hope.”
“זְכֹר דָּבָר לְעַבְדֶּךָ עַל אֲשֶׁר יִחַלְתָּנִי”

This verse reflects David’s confidence—not because of his own worthiness, but because Hashem had already given His word. That promise became the foundation of his unwavering hope.

The Sefer HaIkkarim continues: Even if the thing being hoped for seems uncertain or unlikely in natural terms, if it was promised by Hashem, then it is as good as guaranteed. Hashem’s word turns something that is possible into something that is certain. Therefore, someone who places their hope in a true Divine promise can do so with absolute trust, as if the outcome is already assured.

Strengthening our hope and trust in Hashem is so important—it can even be the source of our salvation. The Chofetz Chaim explains that when a person puts their trust in Hashem, Hashem Himself becomes their shelter in this world and in the next.

He also gives very practical advice on how to work on this. He says: think back over your life until now. For all the years you’ve lived, Hashem has never let you go without food, drink, clothing, or the other things you needed—not even for a single day. If that’s the case, why worry about the future? Just as Hashem has helped you until now with kindness and mercy, you can trust that He will continue to help you going forward.

When you find yourself in a difficult situation, look back on your life and reflect on what Hashem has done for you. From that reflection, you can trust that He will help you in your current situation as well.

This website offers a personal bitachon journal that you can use to record the times Hashem has brought you salvation in different areas of your life. You can keep it private, and revisit it whenever you need encouragement. Seeing your own experiences of Hashem’s kindness will help you hold onto hope and trust in the future.

In this section, you’ll also find other practical tools and guidance to help you strengthen your hope and bitachon in daily life.